Bulls 109, Spurs 99
Before tonight's game against the Western Conference leading San Antonio Spurs, Derrick Rose and Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau were, according to TNT's halftime report, asked if the game could be seen as a statement one.
Rose said yes, Thibodeau said no.
If the Bulls' winning their final game before the All-Star Break sent a message to the NBA's title contenders, it would probably look something like this:
If you want the title, you'll have to go through us. And it won't be easy.
Even though Chicago held the lead for a great majority of the game's first three quarters, it didn't seem like the Bulls had the game in hand. Then the Bulls grew its lead to as much as 14 and outscored the Spurs 20-17 in the first 9:39 of the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.
Rose continued to make his case as an MVP candidate, as he led the Bulls in scoring with a career-high 42 points. He also recorded eight assists and five rebounds.
Luol Deng contributed with 19 points, seven rebounds and five rebounds. Carlos Boozer had 15 points and six rebounds.
The Bulls outrebounded the Spurs 41-29, including a 9-6 offensive rebound ratio, and had the upper hand in field-goal percentage, shooting 54 percent from the floor compared to 49 percent by the Spurs.
Tony Parker led the Spurs with 26 points and four assists. Manu Ginobili had 16 points while Tim Duncan scored 14 points and recorded nine rebounds.
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